Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could hold ballot for public to join Windsor wedding

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could see thousands of members of the public invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle, as they promise to explore ways to make British people feel “part of the celebrations”.

The Prince and Ms Markle, who will marry at St George’s Chapel in May, said they would like their big day to include members of the public, and are “working through ideas for how this might be achieved”.

One option, which would see them follow in the footsteps of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, could see a ballot system to invite people inside the walls of Windsor Castle, or a carriage ride through the town.

Both ideas were adopted by Prince Edward and the then Sophie Rhys-Jones for their wedding in 1999, when wedding organisers ran a ballot for 8,000 lucky people to come closer to the action.

At the time, the idea of the ticketed system was praised as a “unique twist” on the grand wedding ceremonies enjoyed by Prince Edward’s three siblings, leading it to be called the “People’s Wedding”.